Chapter 407 Three Days Before the Wedding

Chapter 407: Chapter 407 Three Days Before the Wedding

Charlotte left.

Rose found her reasoning baffling, especially that final comment.

She had no idea how Charlotte had arrived at that conclusion, but she and Ryan had already gone their separate ways.

She had moved on from the past a long time ago.

As for Ryan, he was her ex-husband—a man who had never truly opened his heart to her.

Ryan didn’t love her.

He had made that clear through countless actions over the years. Rose had experienced it firsthand, and that was something no one else could understand for her.

She wasn’t going to waste any more time thinking about Charlotte’s theories.

*****

The National Center for Biomedical Innovation attracted some of the best minds in the country—people with impressive accomplishments, prestigious awards, and considerable standing in their fields.

Rose would soon begin working there.

For now, she was still an associate professor at NYU. Any transfer would require a comprehensive internal review, followed by a separate evaluation for her new position and title.

She had already submitted her application.

If everything went smoothly, she would be able to join the center’s core research team directly.

The process was complicated, with several strict rounds of review, but Rose wasn’t worried.

She trusted her own abilities.

The following week, with only a few days left before the wedding, Trevor took some time away from work and came to NYU around lunchtime.

After they ate together, the two of them took a leisurely walk across campus.

“I sent you the details,” Trevor said, glancing at her. “Take a look when you have time. If there’s anything you want to change, tell me. We still have time.”

Rose was quiet.

She felt as though she were caught between two paths, neither of which was easy to take.

If she moved forward, she worried she would become permanently entangled with the Robinson family.

If she backed out, Ariel’s situation would become even more difficult.

So, when Trevor mentioned the wedding arrangements, her mind wandered.

“Just do whatever you think is best.”

Trevor stopped walking.

He turned to face her.

“Is something bothering you?” he asked. “You can tell me.”

Rose looked up at him.

“If I told you I have some reservations, what would you think?”

Trevor didn’t look surprised.

“Is this because of what happened at the auction?”

Rose nodded, then shook her head.

“Yes and no.”

She took a breath.

“I told you from the beginning that I married you because I wanted custody of Ariel. But now that the Robinson family knows I’m Aster, do you really think they’ll agree to let me marry you and then take Ariel away?”

She had to be honest with him now.

Trevor might be the heir to the Robinson family, but he wasn’t the only person who had a say in what happened.

In a family that powerful, even Julia might not be willing to support them without reservations.

If Rose married Trevor, would she really be able to walk away from the Robinson family afterward?

After what had happened at the auction, she couldn’t afford to be careless.

Trevor’s lips tightened slightly.

“You’re still thinking about taking Ariel away.”

His voice was quiet.

“To you, I don’t mean anything beyond that, do I? You never intended to build a real relationship with me or make this marriage anything more than an arrangement.”

“Mr. Robinson, we were both clear about that from the beginning.”

“Yes.”

Trevor exhaled slowly.

“I was being greedy.”

He looked down at her, his expression serious.

“You don’t need to worry. The wedding is only a cover for the outside world—and for the Knight family. If you still want to take Ariel and divorce me afterward, I’ll go along with it.”

Rose looked at him.

“I won’t let the Robinson family find out,” he continued. “And I won’t put you in a difficult position.”

He paused.

“If you’re willing to trust me.”

Rose felt a small weight lift from her chest.

If Trevor was truly willing to keep their arrangement from the Robinson family and help her handle everything afterward, then there was still a chance she could get Ariel out of the family without being trapped herself.

She opened her mouth to respond.

Before she could say anything, they ran into a group of students.

The girls immediately looked between Rose and Trevor, their faces lighting up.

“Professor Bennett, is that your boyfriend?”

“He’s so handsome!”

“You two look amazing together!”

“Walking around campus together? That’s so romantic!”

The girls were practically glowing with excitement.

A handsome, mature man like Trevor wasn’t exactly an everyday sight on campus.

Rose glanced up at him before smiling at the students.

“We’re just taking a walk.”

“That’s basically a date!”

“We’re so lucky we got to see Professor Bennett’s boyfriend!”

“You two are obviously really close.”

Rose didn’t confirm or deny it.

Trevor, however, simply smiled.

“Thank you.”

The girls immediately became even more excited.

Then one of them seemed to recognize him.

“Wait... Mr. Robinson from Ocean Star?”

Her eyes widened.

“Oh my God! Professor Bennett, your boyfriend is a huge deal!”

Several students nearby had already started looking over.

Rose quickly tugged on Trevor’s sleeve.

“We have somewhere to be.”

Then she turned to the students with a polite smile.

“It’s cold out. You should head back inside.”

She pulled Trevor away before the situation could attract an even bigger crowd.

Neither of them noticed Alicia and several of her friends approaching from the opposite direction.

One of Alicia’s friends immediately exclaimed, “Is that Professor Bennett’s boyfriend? He’s gorgeous! They look perfect together. I bet they’re really happy.”

“How would I know?”

Alicia frowned.

Her friend didn’t notice her expression and continued enthusiastically.

“Seriously, Professor Bennett is incredible. She’s only twenty-seven and she’s already accomplished so much.”

“Do you think she’ll eventually reach Dr. Grace’s level?”

“I’ve heard Dr. Grace thinks very highly of her. Maybe she’ll eventually take over her work.”

The girl shook her head admiringly.

“We’re all supposed to be talented students selected from across the country, but someone like Professor Bennett is on another level. I honestly can’t compete with her.”

Alicia listened quietly.

A flicker of resentment passed through her eyes.

Her hands curled into fists.

Her friend continued, “And she’s got everything. She’s beautiful, successful, and apparently getting married soon, too. Isn’t the wedding only a few days away?”

Alicia stared at Rose and Trevor as they walked away together.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

The past few days had been terrible for her.

Charlotte had forced her off the research project, and even mentioning her grandmother’s name now seemed useless. No one took her seriously anymore.

And Rose...

Alicia was convinced Rose had deliberately used Charlotte to push her out of the project.

She hadn’t cared about Alicia’s situation at all.

Alicia’s expression darkened.

“It’s all an act.”

Her friend looked confused.

“What is?”

Alicia pulled out her phone and quietly took several pictures of Rose and Trevor.

Only then did her expression soften. She slipped effortlessly back into her usual sweet, harmless demeanor.

“You probably don’t know Professor Bennett as well as you think you do.”

Her friend stared at her in confusion.

Alicia said nothing more.

She simply put her phone away and walked off.

******

Three days before the wedding.

For the first time, Rose felt genuinely nervous.

She had grown up without anyone she could completely rely on, so she had developed a habit of examining every decision from every possible angle.

Trevor’s promise—that he wouldn’t trap her in the Robinson family—was the only reason she hadn’t simply said, Let’s call off the wedding.

There was also the fact that Trevor had once saved her life.

Then there was Ariel’s affection for him, along with all the times Trevor had helped her.

And Julia had gone to considerable effort to arrange this wedding.

If Rose backed out now, it would feel as though she were completely disregarding the Robinson family’s dignity.

She looked at the calendar.

Three days.

So little time.

Her mind was filled with countless possibilities as she tried to figure out how to get everything back under control.

She still had a meeting that afternoon.

Rose drove to NYU.

But the moment she stepped out of her car, she noticed something was wrong.

People were staring at her.

Even students who normally greeted her warmly were avoiding her.

Their eyes followed her wherever she went.

And there was something different in those looks.

Disdain.

Rose narrowed her eyes but remained composed.

She had barely taken a few steps toward the building when Caleb hurried over and grabbed her arm.

“Rose, there’s a problem with your tenure review.”

His expression was unusually serious.

“The whole school is talking about it. There are rumors going around about you...”